What is Anxiety?
Before we dive in to the list of affirmations for social anxiety, let’s discuss what is anxiety?
Anxiety is one of the most common mental health issues that affecting the global population. Age, sex, and race doesn’t matter, we all experience anxiety. In its simplest terms, anxiety is the way your body responds to fear and worry. However, most anxiety cases aren’t as simple. There are plenty of factors that contribute to making anxiety worse.
In a 2020 survey about anxiety, around 62% of the respondents reported that they were experiencing some kind of anxiety. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 265 million adults suffer from anxiety around the world. There are different types of anxiety disorders, here is a quick look at them.
- Panic Disorder
- Phobia
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
- Illness Anxiety Disorder
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Social Anxiety Disorder
- Separation Anxiety Disorder
What is Social Anxiety?
As stated above, there are various anxiety disorders that can cause stress, worry, and anxiety. The main one we’re going to look at today is social anxiety. Social anxiety is one of the most common types of anxiety that people suffer from. That feeling you get when you’re feeling uncomfortable or nervous during a social situation are symptoms of social anxiety.
Public speaking can be an uncomfortable situation for many people but most of them can get through it fine. People who suffer from a social anxiety disorder, though, can’t handle the stress from these situations. It is very hard to live with, you might avoid most, if not all, social contact. Things that people consider as “normal” such as making eye contact or engaging in the small talk may make you very uncomfortable.
When Does Social Anxiety Happen?
People that suffer from social anxiety disorder experience it in various ways. However, here are some of the most common situations that may be hard to handle:
- Public Speaking
- Talking to strangers
- Dating
- Making eye contact with people
- Going to large gatherings such as parties
- Using public restrooms alone
- Entering a room full of people
- Attending school
- Going to work
- Initiating conversations
Some of these situations may be easy for you but others are not. For example, going to a party may not be that bad but public speaking in front of strangers can be a nightmare. Every socially anxious person has different reasons for their anxiety. However, the overall reason is fear. They fear that they might be judged or are embarrassing themselves. Intrusive thoughts start clouding an anxious person’s mind. They start doubting themselves and their abilities.
Social anxiety can negatively affect your relationships and career. Dating can be a very hard and uncomfortable endeavor if you’re afraid of connecting with strangers. Your career may become stagnant
What Does Social Anxiety Feel Like?
Different people will feel different experiences of social anxiety. If you suffer from social anxiety and find yourself in a stressful situation, these physical symptoms may appear.
- Muscle tension
- Diarrhea or other stomach problems
- Hyperventilating and unable to catch your breath
- Lightheadedness or dizziness
- “Out-of-body” experience
- Having difficulty falling asleep
- Constant restlessness
It is important to know that your social anxiety symptoms may be different from someone else. You might experience these symptoms and start to get very anxious before an important event. Some people even start worrying and having anxiety attacks weeks before the event. After this said event, you might spend days, even weeks, worrying about how you acted and the reactions of the people in the event. This is textbook social anxiety.
Now that we’ve discussed what anxiety and social anxiety are, let’s look at one method of treating them, affirmations. Read on to find out more!
What are Affirmations?
Affirmations are simply positive statements that can help you overcome negative thoughts. It can also ease your social anxiety by increasing your self-confidence. It can be used to improve your self-esteem and in turn, make you less anxious during social situations. Affirmations are used to harness positive thinking. You repeat these affirmations often and believe in them. This way, you’ll be reminded daily that you can make positive changes in your life.
You can think of affirmations as an exercise for our mind. By repeating them over and over again, you can reprogram your thinking pattern into a more positive one. Over time, you’ll act and think differently.
There has been plenty of research put into affirmation. One study found that a short affirmation session before a high-stress situation, such as an exam or important meeting can help calm the nerves and improve your confidence. Affirmations have been used to successfully treat people who suffer from depression, low self-esteem, and other mental health conditions. It is a great method to break away from intrusive negative thoughts.
You have the ability and freedom to choose a different thought, so why not choose a thought that makes you feel good about yourself?
How Do I Use Affirmations?
Affirmations can be used in any area or situation where you want to see a positive change in your life. Affirmations can be a huge help when you want to:
- Complete huge projects you’ve started
- Overcome bad habits that are hard to get rid of
- Improve your overall self-esteem
- Control your urges or negative feelings like impatience, anger, and frustration.
- Improve your productivity at work
- Give yourself a confidence boost before important meetings or public speaking
You can increase the effectiveness of affirmations for social anxiety by using them alongside other goal-setting and positive thinking methods. One of the best techniques to use with affirmations is visualization. Instead of only picturing the change you want in your head, you can also say it aloud or write it down daily using a positive affirmation.
When using affirmations, it should always be in the present tense. An example is “I am confident in new situations.” The affirmations should always be very positive, without any negative words or connotations attached. Instead of, “I must stop breathing fast”, it should be “I can breathe slowly”. If you’re suffering from negative self-talk, you can turn them into their positive versions. First, write down and take note of the intrusive thoughts that are bothering you. Then, you use a positive affirmation that is the opposite of these negative thoughts.
Be sure that your affirmations are also realistic and achievable. Be realistic with your situation, if you’re unhappy with your income, you shouldn’t affirm yourself that you’ll receive double pay soon. This affirmation isn’t feasible 99% of the time.
Finally, for affirmations to have a bigger impact and effectivity, you need to say them with emotion and intent. You need to really want this positive change to happen in your life. Every affirmation that you choose to repeat every day should mean a lot to you personally. If you say the affirmation just because you have to, it won’t have the same effect.
Why are Affirmations Important when Dealing with Social Anxiety?
Positive affirmations are very important when trying to fight social anxiety because they help boost your confidence. However, it isn’t an instant effect. Affirmations need to be said every day to imprint them on your mind. Gradually, you’ll be able to boost your confidence and change your way of thinking by speaking these positive affirmations.
It is also very important to treat social anxiety as it can be a gateway to severe depression. This can lead to very dangerous situations such as suicidal thoughts. If you find yourself in this situation, you should add positive affirmations to your daily routine alongside other treatments for your social anxiety.
38 Affirmations for Social Anxiety
Say these affirmations whenever you get the chance to. You can say the before bed after you wake up, and whenever a stressful situation is coming up.
- I am confident.
2. It’s easy for me to meet strangers.
3. I am relaxed in gatherings.
4. People think I’m a confident person.
5. I can make eye contact with people easily.
6. I am a carefree and fun person.
7. I am comfortable around people.
8. I love spending time with people.
9. The people I spend my time with like me as a person.
10. Other people like me.
11. I am happy with who I am.
12. I like being around people in general.
13. I am comfortable in a crowd.
14. I look forward to meeting new strangers.
15. I am pretty relaxed when meeting new people.
16, I am confident in my public speaking skills.
17. I am a very friendly person.
18. Conversation with other people is fun for me.
19. I am brave.
20. I am a worthwhile person.
21. I feel I am in control in social situations.
22. Talking to other people is easy for me.
23. I am intelligent.
24. I stay calm in new situations.
25. I can stay calm around other people.
26. I can do things better than average.
27. I am a better person than I was yesterday.
28. I take pride in my actions.
29. I am capable of making the right decisions.
30. I am successful in the things I do.
31. The work I do will be recognized and appreciated by my boss and colleagues.
32. I take deep breaths.
33. I am a competent person.
34. I can relax during meals with other people.
35. I feel confident when eating with others.
36. I have a lot of positive traits.
37. I am relaxed when I use public bathrooms.
38. I can breathe slowly.
Conclusion
Now you know some of the affirmations you can tell yourself every day to boost your self-esteem and confidence. Make sure that you pick an affirmation that truly matters and means something to you. If you want to learn more about how you can become more confident and fight your social anxiety, check out our list of the best books on confidence.
If you or a loved one is suffering from social anxiety, we highly recommend reading these books. They will help you regain your confidence and start making meaningful connections with other people. Go out there and reclaim your social life and career.
